Process of making a thickened-oil product.



C. ELLIS.

PROCESS OF MAKING A THICKENED OIL PRODUCT. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 9. 1913.

ggfor:

Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

citizen of the United States,

CARIIETON ELLIS, OF MONT'QLAIR, NEW JERSEY.

raocnss or MAKING a THICKENED-OIL mower.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARLETON ELLIs, a and a resident of Montclair, in-the county ofEssex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Processes of Making -a Thickened-Oil Product, of which the fol lowing is a specification.

This invention relates to thickened oils and relates impart to the treatment of fatty ultrawiolet light in an oxidizing, reducing. or neutral atmosphere, under pressure or in vacuo at suitable temperatures, whereby products of improved stability or consistency and color result.

In the past, various proposals have been made to employ actinic reactions, bleach oils, etc., but so far as I am advised the peculiar qualities of ultra violet radiation have not been commercially so employed heretofore.

As the preferred diation I may employ a quartz mercury lamp operated preferably at a voltage, of 150 or over. High voltage efiects are better suited for the purposes herein set forth and lamps operated at'several hundred volts are useful for some applications. The greater the voltage within certain limits the richer is the radiation in rays adapted for oil treatment. The greater components of fatty oils when exposed to a source of light of this-character polymer- I ize more or less, forming certain stable products of a useful nature. If exposed simultaneously to the light and to oxygen or air the resulting products are more or less oxidized, oxy-fattyacids or glycerids being formed in some cases. Neutral or reducing atmospheres also" may be maintained. The gases surrounding the oil may be above or elow atmospheric pressure. In treating an oil giving ofi m ch vapor -it is desirable to use diminished pressure keep such vapor out of contact with the lamp. The ultraviolet radiation is easily impeded and vapors comlng 1n contact with the highly: heated quartz tube form a coating which aflects the character of the .radiation to a marked degree. Accordingly means should preferably be employed to preclude loss of activity from this cause.

The temperature has considerable influe ence .on the rate 'of polymerizationandfairly high temperatures are best main- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filedSeptember 9, 1913.

light to accelerate source of ultraviolet ra-.

part of the unsaturated in order to tend to Patented Apr. 13, 1916.

Serial no. 788,811.

' Moreover this temperature suffices to cause the expulsion of water which may be formed in the course of the reaction and this is desirable. A vacuum may be maintained to remove the water vapor or these may be swept out by a current of an indifferent gas. It is best to thoroughly dry oils before exposure, except when treating at high temperatures. This does not preclude treating oils in the presence of moisture especially certain mixtures of fatty acids.

With35 amperes and 150 volts at the lamp, a light intensity approaching 2500 candles may be secured per unit. The candle power does nothowever form an adequate 'measure of the polymerizing intensity, which largely depends on the specific rays. A series of light units may be arranged as a battery above a tank containing the oil to be treated. Care should be taken to shield the operator from the lightas serious burns will result from short exposure and in fact an exposure almost ngognentary is liable to cause blindness.

In the tank there may be placed a drum or a series of disks of a rotatable character so arranged that a portion will dip slightly below the surface of the oil and on rotation will carry upward a film of oil on which the ultraviolet rays impinge. The drum may be ofwire gauze to better permit the penetration of the rays to the main body of oil.

Sheets of fused quartz may be arranged as these.

7 is a rotatable cylinder the lower part of which touches the oily layer and on rotation of this cylinder the oil is exposed as a film totheaction of the light.

freed from moisture and is exposed an elastic solid, of a posure to about 80 In the operation of this apparatus an oil such as cottonseed oil is substantially as a thin layer in an atmosphere of carbon dioxid to the action of the ultraviolet rays. The oil flows the hydrogen number is reducedby such exor 90. The temperature of operation under these conditions is usually between 75.95 C.

By exposure in this manner, linseed oil forms a solid product with an iodin number less than one half the iodin number of the untreated oil. solidified to a transparent rubbery material. Fish and whaleoils are deodorized and the color improved. Corn and castor oils are variously modified. Cotton oil on relatively short exposure is bleached and thickened. A castor-oil-like viscosity may be obtained without the discoloration often attendant on making blown oils. Longer exposure gives somewhat rubbery nature. Theproduct is light and transparent. The iodin number by the treatment falls from above 100 to or so. The product in part at leastis insoluble in solvents such as ether or chloroform, but dissolves fairly well in hot fatty oil, as cotton oil, modifying the viscosity of the latter. By further treatment moreinsoluble bodies are secured. A light-treated cotton oil of high viscosity, or a similar-mixture of cotton and corn oilmay be hydrogenated to give an edible product. For this purpose even crude cotton oil may be used as the light radiation of this character bleachesthe oil in large measure and also purifies it. After hydrogenation the product, if desired, may, be treated with superheated steam in vacuo.

The light-treated oils -.may be used to advantage in lubricants, varnishes, printing iriiks, linoleum, rubber substitutes and the The treatment of oilsof the character herein referred to in the form of a relatively thick layer is claimed in my copending application Serial No. 7 93,334 filed Oct. 4, 1913.

at I claim is;

1. The process of modifying the consistency of fatty oils which comprises exposing .same in a substantially non-oxidizing past one'light after another and my 011 Wood oil is very quickly maintained atmosphere to the rays of a very powerfulsource of ultra violet light for a sufiicientlength of time to substantially. increase the 5 5 containing glycerld to a very powerful source of ultraviolet light, so as to concentrate the rays. therefrom on a comparatively thin film of glycerid containing material.

The process of making a thickened 011 as a moving film in a substantially nonoxidizing atmosphere to ultra violet radiation.

4. The process of improving the quality of oil material substantially free from petro- 7Q leum oil which comprises exposing such material in a substantially non-oxidizing atmosphere to a concentrated source of ultra violet radiation and in applying the rayslocally to relatively thin layers of s'aid ma- 7 terlal.

5, A process of treating fatty oils, which comprises subjecting liquid, dry, fatty oils, to the action of ultra-violet rays, for a length of time sufficient to the oil.

61 A process oil substantially free from water, with ultrawhile in the form of a film, while in a non-oxidizing atmosphere, outof contact with thedevice until the violet rays,

and while producing such ultravi'olet rays, viscosity iodin number'lowered.

Signed at Montclair in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey this 6th day of September A. D. 1913. v y CARLETOI? ELLIS.-

Witnesses:

=B. M. ELLIs,

I. DAVID SHUBETSKI.

which comprises exposing afatty produce a thickening of of treating oils which cornprises subjecting oil to the actionof ultraile preventing 85 vaporized o1l of said oil is increased, and the 

